"You guys are going to flip out, this thing is super cool. It's going to blow your pants off," Fallon said at the launch event.

Airtime is available now as a Facebook Web app. Mobile versions are in the works.

The Facebook app, which has been in development for more than a year, appears as a split screen with the user on the left side and the friend they're chatting with on the right. A user's entire Facebook friends list appears at the right side of the screen. Shaded boxes beneath each video chat participant show the person's interests, imported from Facebook.

To use the service, simply log in with your Facebook credentials — "if you're a Facebook user, you're an Airtime user," Parker explained. This means users do not need to create a separate account, like they do with other video chat services like Skype. Plus, Airtime is completely Web-based, so it doesn't require users to download any software to their computer.

Airtime also lets people connect with other random Internet users, based on locations, mutual Facebook friends, and shared interests. One of Airtime's core principles is safety, Parker stressed. Once connected, users are anonymous until they decide to reveal their name and other information.

Don't like the person with whom you're chatting? Simply press the Next button to be connected with someone else - a la Chatroulette. Or, if you're really into the conversation, you can reward your chat partner with a star, which will earn them badges, achievements, and a higher credability rating.

Besides just chatting, users are also able to watch YouTube videos together. More content sharing options, such as live music listening and photo viewing may be added in the future.

"We are opening up the world and beginning the process of constructing a network, so we really are just getting started," Parker said.

Angela has been a PCMag reporter since January 2012. Prior to joining the team, she worked as a reporter for SC Magazine, covering everything related to hackers and computer security. Angela has also written for The Northern Valley Suburbanite in New Jersey, The Dominion Post in West Virginia, and the Uniontown-Herald Standard in Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of West Virginia University's Perely Isaac Reed School of Journalism.
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